Elusive Memories
by Kinsie
Summary: When Ginny Weasley wakes up beside Draco Malfoy and neither remember the previous night, they pursue their memories through Hogwarts. Rated T for referenced sexual activity.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I would just like to thank everyone who read and reviewed my first fanfic because they gave me the encouragement to write this one. I would also like to thank LuckyPugWrites, because without her, this idea would never have turned into anything.

Chapter 1

Ginny drifted into consciousness lazily. She was having a wonderful dream and did not want to wake up. Finally, she gave up on going back to sleep and began to sit up. Before she could however, an arm snaked its way around her and Ginny found herself pulled close to another person. She then did the only reasonable thing she could think of; she panicked.

The room was dark, so dark she could not see a thing, not even the person beside her. Before Ginny freaked out too much, she forced herself to calm down and think reasonably. There had to be a perfectly logical explanation for what was going on. It appeared she would discover exactly what that explanation was shortly, because the person laying next to her was starting to wake up.

He leaned over and brushed his lips across hers and found himself being shoved backward, almost off the edge of the bed. He opened his eyes fully to take in the girl who was in his bed. Mercury met chocolate and both parties let out exclamations. Draco's being 'Damn!' and Ginny used her brother's favorite, 'Bloody hell!'

Ginny pulled the sheet close to her after coming to the realization that she was in fact not wearing any clothes. For his part, Draco was too stunned to do anything more than sit and stare at the Weasley he had evidently gone to bed with.

However, he had no recollection of going to bed with her, or of anything really from the previous night. And by her shocked expression, he guessed that she did not either.

"Before you say anything, I would like to make it clear that this in no way happened," Ginny glared at the blond boy sitting beside her. She did not want this 'incident' to come back and bite her. Not that she had any clue as to how it had occurred in the first place.

"What did not happen? The fact that you slept with me or that you like it?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and laughing at the blush currently spreading across the youngest Weasley's face. He could not help but notice how good she looked when she was upset.

"There is not a way in the world I would sleep with you. Besides, you don't know what happened last night," Ginny repressed the urge to stick her tongue out childishly. He had been just as surprised as she when he discovered who she was, so he could not know what had happened last night any more than she did.

"And why would you say that?" Draco asked. There was no way he would let the girl one up him. He could argue that she had been the first to ever reject a kiss from him, which would explain the surprise he was sure to have shown. Regardless of what he may tell her, he really was curious as to how they had wound up in bed together, it just was not a plausible scenario.

"Don't play games with me, Malfoy. You want to know how this happened just as much as I do, but if you're going to be a pig, I'll leave. Furthermore, if you breathe a word of this to anyone, the entire castle will know you have a dick the size of an inchworm," Ginny threatened.

Draco was about to call her out on her bluff, but realized by the look in her eyes that she meant business. Damn.

"Fine, what's the last thing you remember?" He asked, they had to start somewhere.

"Honestly, I remember walking into the party at the Room of Requirement and then a couple hazy things, but that's it. You?" Ginny replied, she usually was not a big drinker, but that was the only explanation for her memory lapse; unless someone put a spell on her, but she doubted it.

"I remember telling Pansy to find someone else to chase after at that same party, it was near the beginning of the night," Draco replied. That girl was like a dog with a bone, he being the bone.

"So let's go," Ginny almost got out of the bed before it occurred to her that she was not wearing any clothes.

"Where is it you want us to go?" Draco asked. He thought they were trying to remember what had happened.

"To the Room of Requirement obviously. If we go to where they party was, we'll remember the events that took place there more clearly," Ginny explained, really, it was very simple.

"Oh, of course," Draco said sarcastically, then pretended to be a gentleman, "After you, I insist." He sniggered when she glared at him.

"My clothes are over there," she could just barely make out the heap on the other side of the room that must be her thrown off clothing.

"Well I was just being accommodating; it's not my fault your clothes are out of reach. You are in fact the one that wanted to leave," Draco laughed when all she did was continue to glare. She really was quite attractive when she was angry. He quickly discovered that she did not appreciate the sentiment however. When he pointed it out, she slapped him right across the face.

After letting her suffer in indecision for a while, he got bored and levitated the pile to her. He would have done it sooner, but she had in fact slapped him.

"Thank you," came the slightly huffy response when the pile landed in her lap, "Wait, these are yours."

"No, mine are on the floor right next to me and I'm not in the habit of leaving clothing lying all over the place," he argued.

"Is this, or is this not the Slytherin symbol on this cloak? I did not even bring one to the party last night, that much I do remember," Ginny replied, holding up the offending article of clothing.

"What is my cloak doing with your clothes?" Draco demanded.

"Hell if I know, it's your bloody cloak," Ginny responded, it was not her job to keep track of his things.

Ginny threw the sheet over her head and got dressed. It took her a fair amount of time seeing as she was trying to hold the sheet down and dress simultaneously. When she eventually emerged, she found that Draco had exited the bed and gotten dressed himself.

"Now, to the Room of Requirement?" he checked, not wanting to argue any more this early in the morning. It was bad enough to have to solve a puzzle this early, but too much fighting would put him off his breakfast.

"No, now to Gryffindor Tower so I can change. You got fresh clothes, so I do too," Ginny corrected. She did not want to spend the day in creased party clothes.

"That will take to long," Draco pulled open a drawer and threw a pair of sweatpants to her along with a dark tank top, "You'll have to roll up the pants, but those are the smallest things I have. Now we don't have to see Potter and his fan club. I'm not in the mood to curse them this morning, I had a good night." He smirked and Ginny hit him over the back of the head.

"Oh, alright, but can you leave the room while I change this time?" Ginny agreed only because she had not considered running into Ron and Harry while Malfoy walked her to the tower and then waited for her. It would cause too many problems and she would never find out what happened.

"Just change in the bathroom, it's right through there," Draco indicated the door and when she looked at him questioningly, he just shrugged and said, "I am Head Boy."

Ginny took the clothes he had given her to the bathroom and washed up before dressing again. There was no brush in sight, so she threw her hair up in a bun before tucking her wand in her pocket and exiting the lavatory.

After Draco commented on how long it takes girls to get ready, they were off.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much to anyone who added this to their story alerts or reviewed! Also, I realized that I had not put a disclaimer on it, so here we are…

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and settings and such belong to the amazing J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 2

Passing in front of the blank stretch of wall, Ginny asked for it to be the room from the night before three times. Once the door appeared, she marched inside, Draco following not far behind. She recognized the room as the one with the party, but it looked larger without the crowds of students. It was sad in a way, barren now that it no longer served a purpose.

"Well here we are, do you remember anything new?" Draco asked. He looked around the familiar room, straining to remember every detail he possibly could.

"Hang on, let me talk this through," Ginny held up a hand and sat on one of the bar stools, "It started with Hermione trying to dress me up like a doll in the tower. Then we came down here to party before winter break starts, with everyone. I remember walking in with her." Ginny put her head in her hands, trying to put together the incoherent babbling of her hung over brain. Finally the pieces fell together and she could see the party around her.

"_Mione, if you get to dress me, I will insist upon picking out your outfit for the night," Ginny laughed at the stained expression on her older friend's face. The last time she had dressed Hermione for a party, Ron nearly had a heart attack. "However, you may help me decide between these two."_

_ The choices were a dark green halter-top, or a sleeveless crimson shirt that was held together with a winding piece of black satin. She had already decided on the black mini skirt, she just was not sure which top to wear. _

"_Well, if Ron sees you with the red one on, he's going to blow a gasket, and you'll probably be accused of dressing like a scarlet woman again," Hermione pointed out._

"_I guess, though if I decide what to wear on what Ron thinks, I will never get to wear it," Ginny said. She decided that Hermione did have a valid point; she did not want to be on the receiving end of a Howler this holiday season. _

_She and the golden trio were staying in the castle for Christmas this year, which suited Ginny just fine. She loved spending time with her family, but she had some work to get done for her classes. Her sixth year was proving to be more difficult than any of the rest. It would be much easier to get caught up without distractions._

"_Alright, so the green shirt it is," Ginny said hanging the other back up in her wardrobe._

They snuck down to the Room of Requirement ready to have a good time. When they reached the door, it was just about to fade away after the last group had gone in, so they went right in. The room was packed with students from all houses. It was well known that the Slytherins really knew how to party, so they were always invited to the unauthorized celebrations, even if the other houses did not generally get along the inhabitants of the house.

_ A group of teenagers beckoned for the two girls to join them. Lavender and Parvati gushed over their outfits and Luna warned them against standing below the mistletoe, which was something she was prone to doing. Harry and Ron wandered over eventually and they all grabbed drinks from the platters floating through the room. _

_ Ginny surveyed the crowd around her, noting the groups of people congregated together. For the most part, everyone seemed to be getting on well. There had been no major mishaps yet, which was something everyone was grateful for. The houses were mostly sticking to themselves, but there were a good number of people talking together that did not share a common room. Even the Slytherins were melding with the other residents of the school. _

_ People watching was one of her favorite things to do at parties like this. She got to take a peek into the lives of those that she would never normally interact with. Her second favorite was dancing. After her second drink, a seventh year Ravenclaw asked her onto the dance floor._

_ After telling the others she would be back later, Ginny downed the rest of her drink and went out onto the floor. Her partner introduced himself as Eric Young and then they danced. Ginny lost herself in the music, the beat and rhythm that kept her moving. After a few songs, she started to tire and they went to grab something to eat._

_ The house elves had outdone themselves this time. They had prepared a feast that looked almost too good to eat. No one worried about the elves telling a teacher because they loved to do things for the students. They had had an agreement with them since before anyone could ever really remember and it had never been broken._

_ Once they had taken their breather, Ginny lead him back onto the dance floor. However, they were only half way into the song when someone tapped on Eric's shoulder._

"_I'll be cutting in on this one, Young," came the cool drawl of Draco Malfoy. He had just told Pansy to sod off and now needed something to amuse himself with. The littlest Weasley seemed the perfect target. However, he did not know her very well and he was slightly inebriated._

"_And what makes you think I would agree to that?" she began, but her dance partner was already edging away, "Oh, fine then."_

"_I think you need to find better people to dance with. That one had no backbone," he said after the Ravenclaw had slunk away._

"_Thanks for that," Ginny said sarcastically, "I had just taught him how to dance properly, now I'll have to go and train someone new."_

"_Somehow I don't think you'll have any trouble finding another poor scut to play with," he responded, smirking._

"_No, you're probably right, but still," Ginny pouted. The alcohol was starting to really take effect and her mind was a bit fuzzy. She realized this because she had just agreed with Malfoy, and too many drinks were the only thing that would cause that to happen._

_ Draco was too surprised to come up with a timely response, so he decided to stay quiet. He never dreamed she would actually agree with him. The song was coming to a close, but he found that he did not want to stop dancing. This was the most fun he had had all night, what with having to dodge that pig, Parkinson, the whole time. Draco spotted the familiar pair of red and black hair across the room and started scheming. When the Weasley girl made to move at the end of the song, he appealed to her darker side._

"_Do you want to have some fun?" he asked conspiratorially._

"_If you're trying to hit on me, you're doing a really bad job of it," she whispered back, laughter dancing in her chocolate brown eyes. He had never really noticed her eyes before and found them to be intriguing. They had depth and warmth, which were both foreign concepts to him. He raised an eyebrow before responding, "No, I'm not hitting on you. I was thinking more along the lines of messing with St. Potter and his squire."_

"_I'm just going to assume you mean my brother when you say squire, also, as he is my brother, why would I want to mess with him?" she posed a very practical question._

"_Because it'll be fun," he said simply._

"_Well, my actions are probably do to having too many drinks, but I guess it could be interesting, what are we doing?" she inquired, thinking about her conversation with Hermione earlier, she really did put too much stock into what Ron thought about what she did with her life._

"_Just follow my lead," Draco said._

_ It was a slow song and he wrapped his arms around the petite girl. He pulled her even closer as a clear view of the girl's protectors opened up. Once the pair noticed them, Draco leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her. He was taken aback when she actually reciprocated the kiss and then he became too involved to see what his scheming had gotten him._

_ Over where the golden trio was sitting at the bar, Ron had just taken a sip of butterbeer when he saw a flash of red that made him look to see his baby sister, dancing with Malfoy. His face began to turn a dark shade of purple and he spat out his mouthful when he watched the disgusting ferret kiss her. It appeared that Harry and Hermione had noticed what was going on as well because they both grabbed an arm each and held the headstrong young man in place. Hermione almost had to grab Harry once Ron's color had faded a bit and he seemed more in control of his actions._

"_Would both of you please get a grip?" she demanded, putting a hand on her hip, "Ginny is old enough to make her own decisions and even if you don't agree with them, you will accept them or so help me, neither of you will be receiving any help for the rest of the year." This threat seemed to weigh in a great deal, mostly because it was due to Hermione's excellent help that either boys were scraping passing grades in Potions at the moment._

"_But it's Malfoy, and he's snogging my little sister," Ron could not help exclaiming, though to his credit, he did not leap out of his seat to go deck the blond Slytherin._

"_Yes, and if you'll notice, Ginny is rather involved in that," Hermione bit back a laugh when Ron turned a delicate shade of green and Harry blanched._

"_Now, will you leave her alone?" she asked one final time. Both boys gave their grumbled agreement, though she could tell it was grudging._

_ Back on the dance floor, Ginny found that she quite enjoyed snogging Malfoy, even if he was an insufferable git. However, she was running low on air and had to break away. She turned toward the bar where her brother and his friends were sitting to see both Ron and Harry fuming and looking mutinous. Hermione was still standing over them with her hands on her hips. Ginny burst out laughing, much to Draco's confusion. She indicated the position the trio was in and laughed again, this time the Slytherin joined her. They made their way over to them arm in arm._

"_Hello Ronald, Harry," Ginny said cordially, "Are you having a good time Hermione?" Ron looked away pointedly and Harry grimaced, but Hermione smiled and said, "Grand, I just saved a life," she said proudly._

"_Really? Would the owner of this life possibly have blond hair and is generally a self serving pig?" Ginny asked._

"_Why yes, I do believe he is," she responded and both girls laughed, though Draco could not just leave it at that, he had to put his two cents in._

"_I am not a self serving pig all the time," he countered, "I can be quite the gentleman." _

"_Yeah, we could see that, what with you sticking you tongue down my sister's throat," Ron could not help himself, he really could not._

"_Ronald!" he earned himself a well deserved slap on the back of the head._

"_I'm going to get another drink," Draco asked Ginny, "Do you want anything?"_

"_Whatever you're having," she replied, figuring this was how he was going to prove he was a gentleman._

"_You sure?" he questioned._

"_If I wasn't, I wouldn't have said it," she rolled her eyes at him._

"_Just wanted to be sure you could handle it," he smirked at her._

"_I can handle my liquor, can you?" she raised an eyebrow questioningly, surprised when he cracked a real smile in return._

"_Of course I can," he assured her and went over to the other side of the bar where a Hufflepuff seventh year was acting as the bartender. _

"_Well you two seem to be doing well," Hermione commented. She laughed when Ron scowled at them. Luckily he did not say anything, knowing he would likely get another slap for it._

"_It is, isn't it?" Ginny replied, while ignoring the vomiting motion Harry was blatantly expressing._

_ Draco was coming back over with two drinks in his hands. They were bright green and seemed to glow. It was quite impressive really, and very pretty. When he handed Ginny hers, he said, "I suggest you stick with one as this is your first time drinking it."_

"_Thanks for the warning. Cheers," she raised her drink to him and they clinked glasses._

"_Cheers," Draco responded before they both took a drink._

_ The liquid slid down her throat with a burn and made her a bit light headed, but the taste was phenomenal. It was not something she could readily describe; she was more focused on the feeling it gave her. Like she was walking on air. Draco nearly laughed when he saw the surprised smile stretch out on the girl's face._

"_So I guess that means you liked it?" he inquired, giving in to the temptation of laughing when she let out a soft, tinkling laugh of agreement._

_ They finished their drinks and went out onto the dance floor for a while longer, grabbing more green drinks as the night went on. Before long, they were both smashed and it was all Ron could do when he saw them not to make a prat out of himself. It was only due to Hermione's interference that the two were able to sneak out from under the eye of Ginny's overprotective brother. Draco and Ginny decided to go play a nice game of Quidditch at almost one in the morning, in December, while they were drunk. _

After Ginny had finished running through the events of the night before, she was concerned about Hermione's ability to make rational decisions. What on earth would possess the older girl to let her go and play Quidditch under those circumstances? And for that matter, what happened when they were out on the pitch? She could only remember up until leaving the Room of Requirement.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry about the long wait, life has been crazy, but here's another chapter for you!

Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing but the plot belongs to me, its all J.K. Rowling's *sighs*

Chapter 3

The pair looked at each other and silently thanked their lucky stars they were still alive. Under normal circumstances, they were both superb flyers, however, with impaired motor skills, who knew what could have happened. Ginny shuddered at the thought and took a breath, "Well I guess it's time to go out to the pitch."

"I suppose so," Draco agreed and they set off down to the main entrance of the school.

It was not until they were outside that Ginny realized just how cold she was and what little she was actually wearing. Suppressing a shiver and giving a resigned sigh, she trudged onward with her blond companion.

"Here," he said, draping his cloak over her as well. Draco thought there was something familiar about being wrapped up with Ginny, but it must have been his imagination.

It was the same cloak that had ended up in her pile of clothing and now she had a pretty good idea why. However, it was not that easy for her to think straight, what with being enfolded in the garment with the same person whom she had slept with the night before. It did not help either that he was so attractive.

"Thanks," was all she could manage at that point, shifting closer to him so the material could git better around them both.

Upon arriving at the Quidditch Pitch, Ginny looked around hoping to see something that sparked a memory. When her eyes landed on the broom shed, she saw a piece of mistletoe hanging above the doorway. When she pointed it out to Draco, he laughed, remembering the events that unfolded at the pitch the night before.

_They were walking along the path to the pitch, wrapped up in Draco's cloak together. He was not particularly cold, but he found that he liked having his arms wrapped around her. Ginny's bright red hair tickled his neck when she snuggled closer. Soon though, the girl broke away to run for the broom shed. He took off after her, catching her around the waist. Draco leaned down, but instead of her lips, his mouth met with Ginny's fingertips. She danced away and grabbed two broomsticks. _

"_You get a kiss it you can beat me on a broomstick," she challenged, excitement gleaming in her eyes. She handed Draco his broom before shooting off on her own. _

"_You're on," Draco accepted the challenge when he drew level with her. He also threw her the cloak so she would not get cold again._

_ Draco learned that playing chaser was very difficult while drunk. To begin with, he had never played with the quaffle before and it was something Ginny had an innate ability for. She had him flying in circles for an hour before taking pity on him and scoring the final goal._

_ When they landed, Ginny was laughing at Draco's antics, not that he blamed her, he must have looked pretty foolish up there. While she was busy doing an exaggerated imitation of him, Draco was plotting a way to get his kiss. He knew he had lost the match, but he was a Slytherin and a Malfoy, what did little trifles like rules matter anyway?_

"_Ahh, don't feel bad Draco, you're still a better seeker than I am," Ginny assured him while looping her arm in his. They were walking back to the broom shed to put their mounts back when he came up with his scheme. _

_ After they put their brooms away properly, Draco stopped Ginny in the doorway to the shed by catching hold of her arm. _

"_I don't think so," she teased, "I won, so you don't get your kiss."_

"_But we're standing under mistletoe," he responded, doing nothing to hide his satisfied smirk._

"_When did you do that?" Ginny asked, scrunching her face up in a way that Draco found irresistible._

"_Whatever are you talking about? I did not do anything," Draco responded unconvincingly. _

"_Fine, I guess I could give you a little kiss," Ginny stood on tiptoe and pecked his nose before running up the path giggling._

_ Draco stood still for a moment and then laughed at her audacity. He ran after the tinkling sound of her laughter and the slight drop of her feet on the snow. Draco sped up to catch the captivating redhead before she got away. When he rounded the bend, she was just inches from him. Draco reached out and held her fast around the waist. She was laughing like mad as he turned her around. Tears were streaming from her chocolate eyes. However, as he pulled her closer, her giggles resolved themselves. Ginny gave a slight sigh when their lips met and brought herself closer to him, losing herself to the perfection of the moment._

_ Draco discovered her lips were just as soft and warm as he had imagined them to be. He loved the feel of her against him and the thought that at that moment, Ginny was all his. He could feel her fingers running through his hair, her breath against his cheek. He had every intention of staying like that for a long while, but their stomachs had other plans. When the growling started, they broke apart laughing,_

"Well that was interesting," he commented dryly.

"We know one thing," Ginny said, mischief glinting in her eyes. To his questioning look, she said, "I'm a better Quidditch player than you."

"Oh, I don't think so," Draco argued, "We were drunk and I decided to be gallant and spare your feelings."

Ginny just gave him a disbelieving look before walking away from the little green plant hanging in the doorway. "When we get to the kitchen, we need to grab some breakfast," she called back to him.

Draco had been lost in his memories; maybe those had something laced in them. What else could have possessed him to kiss the little Weaselette, let alone get in bed with her? Thinking on it, they still had not discovered how that event had taken place. He got the feeling they would be chasing their memories around the castle all day.

When they arrived at the kitchens, Draco tickled the pear and the door swung open. A sea of house elves greeted them, led by a regal, older looking elf that approached the pair. He bowed before squeaking, "Mistress Ginny and Master Malfoy have returned! I see this time they are not half in the bottle." The elf chuckled at his bad joke. When he saw the incredulous looks on the students' faces, he laughed outright, "Young masters, surely you remember last night?" Ginny's reddening face gave them away and the elf took pity on them. "You came in laughing…"

_Ginny and Draco entered the kitchens, laughing about something their intoxicated minds told them was funny. They could not seem to stop, nor did they want to. However, their stomachs had other plans and complained louder than their laughter. _

_An older looking house elf made his way to them and introduced himself as Gerard. He seemed to know what they needed better than they did themselves. Gerard told them to have a seat while he got them something to eat. Soon they were sitting with steaming mugs of cocoa and a plate of fresh sugar cookies set before them. The pair filled themselves with the warm snack, thanking Gerard for his excellent choice._

"_This is nice," Ginny sighed contentedly._

"_Mmm," came Draco's response as he chewed through another cookie._

_ They both sat in silence for a while, their eyes locked on the fire in the grate beside the table. Draco's thoughts were of a time, years ago when he had found himself in a drunken state in this self same kitchen. It was his fourth year and he had finally accepted that his father would never be proud of him, never love him, never care for anything he did. It left him feeling cold, empty, and alone. It was as though his innards had filled with ice and where his heart once was, was a gaping hole. Draco had known deep down that he would never be enough for his father. He had known it for years._

_ Somehow, thinking these thoughts, mixed with the drinks he had had, Draco found himself reliving those awful moments. Forgetting completely about the girl sitting beside him, Draco stood from his chair._

"…and then the young master ran out. Miss Ginny went after him, though she stumbled a bit at first. How much alcohol did the young masters have last night?" Gerard's tone was tinged with disapproval, but he continued, "Did young master Draco find what he was looking for?"

"I don't remember either, but I'll let you know when I find out, shall I?" Draco said without his usual condemnation, "You were here a few years ago with me, weren't you?"

"That day, you were in need of some good stew," Gerard winked conspiratorially, "Now go find what you have been searching for all these years. Though between you and me, I think you've already found it."

The suggestion did not get past either of them, but surprisingly, neither commented on it. They both thanked the kindly old house elf before exiting the kitchen. Gerard bade them ado with egg sandwiches and hot cocoa in a thermos.

"So how exactly do you know Gerard?" Ginny inquired before taking a bite from her sandwich.

"You'll find out soon enough, we have to go up to the owlery next," Draco heaved out an enormous sigh.

"Okay," Ginny decided not to push the issue; Draco looked so sad. It was not an expression that sat easily on his pale face. Draco surprised her by wrapping an arm around her before setting off in earnest.

They climbed the spiraled stairs leading up to the owlery in silence. Draco did not remove his arm from her waist and Ginny found that she felt comfortable with it there. When she heard the sounds of sleepy owls, Ginny knew they had arrived. She identified two owls right off because they both approached her for treats. Hedwig did so with more dignity than Pig. What interested her though was that after they had both gotten snacks from her, the owls flew to Draco for more. If she even suggested to anyone that Harry Potter's owl was fond of Draco Malfoy, they would laugh in her face. And before last night, they would have had the right of it.

_ Ginny found herself running up the steps after the blond blur ahead of her. She had no idea why he had taken off, but she now recognized the stairs as those that led to the owlery. Ginny paused at the top of the steps to catch her breath before entering the room. When she steeped inside, her eyes lit upon Draco scribbling furiously on a length of parchment. His face was unreadable, so she approached cautiously._

"_What are you doing?" Ginny asked, her curiosity overcoming her decision to wait until he was finished to ask._

"_Writing to my father," Draco replied, punctuating his last word with a vicious stab on the parchment, the quill almost going through it. Ginny bit her lip, not sure how to approach the subject before her._

"_Draco," she began, "Do you remember what happened last year?"_

"_Yes, of course I do," he replied, "Are you going to ask what I'm writing?"_

"_I guess I'm a bit curious," Ginny was still unsure how to broach the discussion of what had taken place a year ago. She absent mindedly pet Hedwig and threw Pig a treat as they had flown down to great her._

"_I am telling him exactly what I think of him. How he is a self righteous son of a bitch and that I no longer consider myself related to him. He has never cared the least bit about me. I have always just been an object, just a possession to be traded for another rung on his ladder of ambition. It would not matter to him one bit if I died. Well maybe if I ruined something for him by dying, but I am done. I am done being a slave in my home, a tool for a deranged man to throw about. I am done being his faithful, subservient son," Draco exploded, as though he could not stop the words rushing through his mouth. _

_He had started pacing a little while into his speech and tears had begun to leak from his eyes. Ginny rose from her position and held him. How could she not? Draco was distressed over the man that had been his tormenter since childhood. The least she could do was hold him while he wept. The owls seemed to want to help the poor boy as well. They both swooped toward him. Hedwig landed lightly on his shoulder and began preening his corn silk hair, while Pig flew around crazily until Draco and Ginny were laughing at his antics._

"_Draco, Lucius cannot hurt you anymore. He has been gone for nearly a year. He died in the final assault of the ministry. I promise, he can't hurt you here," Ginny kept her arms around him and held him as they watched the owls flying about._

"Oh," Ginny's eyes softened; poor Draco.

"Yeah, well," the young man in question shuffled his feet in a most un-Draco like fashion. Ginny glimpsed snow falling from the window behind them and smiled up at him, "I know where we went next!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I am so, so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! My ideas just wouldn't flow in writing, but it's done now. There will be one more chapter after this and I promise it will be up around Christmas and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, however I would love to at least have partial custody of some of the characters *sighs*

Chapter 4

"_Come on, I know something that will make you feel better," Draco felt his spirits rising as her small hand clasped his own. He threw treats to the owls and let himself be pulled out to the steps of the owlery. _

_ Draco found himself rushing through the corridors to Salazar only knew where. Ginny kept looking at him and grinning, so he figured it could not be too bad. Soon, he identified the path they were taking as the one leading to the Astronomy Tower. He was not quite sure if going there in their intoxicated condition was a good thing or not. However, if they could survive the pitch on broomsticks as high as the tower and less protected, he knew they would be fine to watch the stars. _

"_What's so special about this place?" he asked when they stepped out onto the tower's flat observation platform. It had been cleared of snow from the last snowfall, but had a dusting from the precipitation falling from the heavens. _

"_It's snowing," Ginny replied, "This place has the most magnificent view, especially in the winter. The whole castle sparkles and the grounds look beautiful."_

_ All Draco could concentrate on however, was how the snowflakes kept catching on her light eyelashes and how graceful she looked twirling around in the snow. He caught one of her hands in his and wrapped his other around her waist. She laughed and placed her hand on his shoulder._

"_There is no music," Ginny laughed into his shoulder._

"_Ah, but it looked so fun while you were dancing that I had to join in," Draco teased._

_ They danced until too much snow had built up for them to move. When Draco stepped away, he gave a mock bow and kissed the back of her hand. Ginny surprised him by kissing him tentatively, though he responded quickly to the warmth of her lips. When she broke away for air, Draco saw a flush had crept onto her face. He laughed, but it was not his usual condescending, harsh laugh. It was pleasant, as though thanking the world that they were both there at that moment in time. Ginny's tinkling laugh accompanied his._

"_I showed you something new, now it's your turn," Ginny told him, and Draco knew just the place._

"I'm starting to think that getting drunk is a very dangerous business. Quidditch, and towers, and who know what else," Ginny looked at Draco with amusement in her eyes. He simply raised an eyebrow and stared at her. She figured he was smarting from the memory of the owlery still and did not hold it against him, "So where to next?"

"Come on, we have to go get a broom, it's too far to wade through the snowdrifts," Draco responded.

"Are you serious," Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand and cast a summoning charm. When a broomstick came whizzing toward them, Ginny hopped on and looked at him impatiently after asking, "Wasn't that just so much faster?" Draco sneered at the redhead before jumping on the broom behind her.

During the flight, Ginny was very distracted by the heat emanating from his body. They were pressed rather close together on the broom and she could not quite concentrate on where he was taking them. She did not even blink when they took a nosedive off the side of the Astronomy Tower; maybe she was losing her mind. She did however realize when they entered the Forbidden Forest.

"Why did we go into the Forbidden Forest?" Ginny was curious, but not worried in the slightest. Sure, the forest was dangerous, but only if you were stupid and provoked something, or forgot your wand or something. She may not have been in Ravenclaw, but Ginny was not stupid. She doubted Draco would have been that foolish either, even if they had both been drunk.

"You have never heard of the hot springs in here have you?" Ginny could practically here the smirk in his voice. It was in the tone of his voice and it was completely unique to him.

"No, I have not, would you like to clue me in?" Ginny stopped herself from rolling her eyes because the action would be wasted on him. Neither could see the other's face the way they were on the broomstick.

"Well," Draco drawled with a hint of humor, "There are these pools of water tha-" He was cut off by a jab from Ginny's elbow, "I know what a hot spring is you prat, what I was asking was more along the lines of where they are, how long students have known about them, that sort of thing."

"They are right here," Draco said as the broom slowed to a halt. Before them was a series of five or six separate pools of water, all with steam coming off the top and a small ring around the sides of the water where all the snow had melted as it fell. Along one pool were small flowers no bigger than Ginny's thumbnail. She recognized them as being a rare potion ingredient they had discussed in class one day. There were some mushrooms on the bank of the next that were blue in color and seemed to exude their own glow. Ginny did not have the slightest idea as to what they could do, but felt it would be safer not to touch them. The only other pool with anything growing on the side was the pool the farthest away from where the broom had stopped. The flowering plants were small with jewel-toned blossoms ranged from ruby, to sapphire, to emerald, to opal, and ever shade in between. They all glimmered in the scant light allowed by the think forest canopy. Each color seemed to have it's own scent accompanying it. Ginny could smell a myriad of sweet and spicy aromas that were all distinct and lovely. The flora formed a perfect ring around the pool that she felt should not be crossed. Ginny could feel power seeping through the ground toward both her and Draco the longer they lingered close to it.

"Umm, Draco, do you know what that is?" Ginny indicated the jewel flowers.

"All I know is that it and the pool belong to the faeries," Draco replied, "Well, also, I know better than to touch it."

"Okay," Ginny could hear the warning in his voice and felt a sense of dejavu descend upon her. She distinctly remembered being told not to go near the ring before; however, she had not even known the springs existed until now. No, that was not quite right, they had obviously been there last night, or she would have remembered. So, Draco must have told her the night before.

_"Just don't touch those," Draco told her, pointing to the most beautiful flowers she had seen in her life. The flowers were a myriad of colors that overwhelmed her with their wonderfulness. _

"_So what are we doing here if not to gaze at pretty flowers?" Ginny asked teasingly._

"_We are going swimming," Draco said, a mischievous glint in his eyes._

"_That's slightly problematic," Ginny replied._

"_And why is that?" Draco asked._

"_Number one, it is snowing. Two, I don't have a suit. And three, we are both drunk," Ginny pointed out, swaying a little as she stood from the broom. Draco waved his wand and her clothes had been replaced with a skimpy bikini. _

"_All fixed," Draco said and continued when he saw her raised eyebrow, "The hot springs are just that, hot, so the snow will not matter, you are now in a suit, and who cares?"_

"_Fine, I suppose we could swim," Ginny pretended to give in a heavy sigh, but she was thrilled to be going for a nice swim, especially in such lovely surroundings. It seemed like just the thing to do._

_ Draco had already jumped in one of the pools that was unadorned by flowers or mushrooms. Ginny walked leisurely over to him, enjoying the way his eyes followed the sway of her hips that accompanied each step forward she took. When her toes hit the water, she let a small hiss at the warmth and stepped completely in. The water's heat was welcome after dancing in the snow for who knows how long._

_ They lounged in the hot water for a long while before a strange noise filtered through to their intoxicated brains. It sounded like tinkling bells and made Ginny's heart sing. It was the sound of happiness and hope and beauty all wrapped up into one. They both strained their eyes to see in the faint glow that the strange flora around them produced. Ginny let out a delighted laugh when she saw the sprites. They were as varied in their color as the jewel tone flowers they were dancing over. Each was as unique as a snowflake, each of them more breathtaking than the last._

"_They're gorgeous," Ginny breathed, taking in the luminous beings before her._

"_Just don't leave the pool. Once they move on, we'll leave," Draco cautioned. Even in his drunken state, he knew better than to let the vivacious girl dance with the sprites. He may never get her back if he did. They watched the little winged creatures play for a time before they flew away, and then the two inhabitants of the pool followed suit. _

Ginny's eyes lit up as she remembered the sprites and their antics. They twirled and played and splashed in the pool. She recalled a couple playing hide and seek in the flowers that acted as camouflage for them. She looked over and Draco's face opened a bit and allowed a smile to escape.

"Where did we go next?" Ginny asked, excited at the prospect of a place they had not already explored.

"We went to my room," Draco had come to the realization that the girl in front of him was amazing. She had spirit and fire and life that was something very new to him. It was as though she was a flame and he a willing moth who just wanted to be near the warmth. He had no doubt that his room was the next place they had gone, however, he was a bit curious as to how they had gotten there without the detection of Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris. Even he was not lucky enough not to have encountered them at least once with the amount of time they spent traversing the castle corridors.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This is just a revised version of chapter five. It has the same content as the previous one, except that Harry's wife actually got a name. I would just like to apologize for that because I meant to fix it quite a long time ago and completely spaced after starting a new project. Also, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. J.K owns everything amazing in the world, or at least it seems like it sometimes.

Chapter 5

The two teens flew back over the snowy landscape of the castle grounds; over Hagrid's hut and up the path to the castle. Draco landed the broom inside the courtyard and sent the broom back to the shed beside the pitch. They made their way to a concealed door hidden in a shadowy alcove. It opened on a winding staircase. Ginny could not see how far down it went because of the darkness around them. However, she took Draco's hand and started the descent with him, placing her trust in someone that until that night had been her most loathed enemy. Now, going down a darkened stairwell with an unknown destination with him did not even make her blink.

Ginny felt her way with her free hand as the other was still holding onto Draco's. As he led her downward, her fingertips brushed against the rough, cold stone of the wall. The air was stale and she could tell that sunlight had never touched the hewn steps. Luckily they were even enough neither stumbled down the staircase, for it was a fair ways down. After a bit, the ground started to even out unexpectedly, then rise. The new steps were similar to the last, but the journey seemed shorter, perhaps because they were traveling toward light and fresh air.

When they reached the top of the stairs, there was a faint square outline of light in front of them. Draco pulled one edge of the tapestry in front of them aside to allow them entrance to the castle's corridor. Before they got far though, they heard a faint noise that grew louder. Then, the wheezing of Argus Filch sounded in the early morning air.

"Run," Draco said quietly. Then they ran. They ran as fast as they could, but every time they thought they lost him, the old squib just reappeared a little ways ahead of them.

Draco almost turned into an old hidden tunnel before Ginny could pull him back, "That one is collapsed, come on, I know another way." She led them toward another hallway that opened behind a suit of armor nearby. Filch almost had them that time, but they managed to close the wall back up before he rounded the bend.

They must have traveled through half the castle, never slowing their pace, lest they be caught. They each recognized corridors and portraits hanging from the stone walls, so they were in no danger of getting lost. The pair decided against hopping onto the staircases for fear of being identified by the old man and instead took secret passageways bringing them to every corner of the ancient school.

Finally, Draco spotted a tapestry he recognized coming up beside them. It pictured an emerald dragon, crouching before a great hoard of treasure. The gold filled the tapestry, making the contrasting green look brighter than worldly possible. Draco murmured the password in a quiet tone and the dragon bowed her head as the artwork rolled up into the ceiling revealing a short, torch lit corridor that ended with a dark wooden door with a black knocker.

They went down the corridor quickly, not wanting Filch to find them before they could escape properly. They should not have feared however, the dragon unfurled just as they entered, prohibiting any others from gaining access to the hallway.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked, not recognizing the area.

"This leads to the Head Boy suite," Draco replied.

Ginny and Draco had come full circle. They now stood at the door to Draco's room again, only this time, they were both quiet and thinking about what had happened the previous night, what it meant to each of them. Draco was the first to act; he opened the door and held it open for her to enter before him.

"Always the gentleman," Ginny smiled at the blond boy in front of her.

"This time I'm not getting you any drinks," he cautioned.

"That's fine with me, I think the headache from last night is finally going away, but I have no wish for another any time soon," Ginny responded, flopping down on the large bed. In their rush this morning, it had been not been made, but it appeared one of the house elves had been in, because until she had worried the fabric, the bedclothes had not had even a hint of a wrinkle in them.

"Mine went away after Gerard's hot chocolate," Draco smirked in a way that made Ginny's stomach feel inexplicably as though it was filled with butterflies.

"Well aren't you special?" Ginny gave him a playful glare, "Not all of us are blessed with having an anti-hangover gene."

"No, I just have a built up immunity to hangovers," Draco sat down beside her and Ginny felt her arm tingle where his brushed against it, "However, I do know a charm to help with them if you'd like it."

"Hmm, I don't think I'm in need of it today, however, I'll keep it in mind, shall I?" Ginny replied. Her headache was only a niggle at the back of her skull at this point, and she was not in any real pain.

They were sitting very close between the posts placed at the foot of Draco's bed and Ginny was playing with her fingers, so she would not have to look at him. Her mind had just wandered to what they had done on the bed last night and she was feeling embarrassed. Then, she felt his cool fingertips at her chin, lifting it so her face was tilted up toward his.

"May I kiss you?" His voice was soft, his eyes less metallic and more like molten silver. Ginny felt as though he was looking into her very soul with his one, simple question. She could not form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence, or even one word. However, Ginny found herself nodding once, slowly as though not quite sure herself.

Draco's hand moved from her chin to her cheek, cupping her face softly. As the distance between them decreased, Ginny's heart worked faster, she was sure the pounding could be heard for miles. It felt like forever before his lips finally met hers. They were warm and soft, not like she expected, no matter what she remembered. The moment was lovely, and sweet, and simply perfect. It was not like at the party, where they were doing it to get a rise out of someone, or after when they were so intoxicated, they could not make rational decisions, this was the kiss that Ginny would always remember as their first real kiss.

They broke apart a short while later, but neither was willing to move away from the other. Ginny felt at home when she was in Draco's arms; safe and happy. Similarly to the night before, it was the growling of a stomach that burst their little bubble of happiness.

"Miss Weasley, would you like to join me for an early dinner in the kitchens?" Draco imitated a bow for her, eliciting a laugh from his companion.

"Why of course Mister Malfoy, nothing would please me more," she replied, bobbing a curtsey when she rose from the bed.

On the way to the kitchens, Ginny thought about Draco, and the night before, and the fact that they were holding hands in the brightly lit corridors. Throughout the night, Draco had been a gentleman, a savior, a child, and a fool. He had protected her from the fae, even if she did not think they were dangerous. He had shown that his feelings were in fact there, just hidden under his rough exterior, when they had gone to the owlery. His antics during their prowl of a midnight Hogwarts proved he was as much a fool as he, especially while drinking. He was amazing, and Ginny would be damned if she was going to hide from this thing they had, even if she was scared witless. She snuggled closer to him and smiled.

When they arrived, Gerard welcomed them with a knowing smile, "I see the young masters have indeed found what they were looking for."

"In more than one way," Draco replied. They had discovered the truth of the previous night as well as finding each other.

"What would the young masters be wanting for supper?" Gerard asked, wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"I think you know better than anyone what we should eat," Ginny replied, "Could you please choose for us?"

"Have a seat then," Gerard accepted the challenge.

The two sat down at the same table as the night before, but this time, their thoughts never strayed from the person seated across from them. Each was trying to form the words necessary to find out what the other wanted. Before they could find the words however, Gerard returned with piping hot bowls of creamy onion soup. There was an accompanying plate full of hot rolls and butter with tea for both of them. After thanking the old house elf, the pair tucked in for a delicious meal.

"I would never tell her so, but I think this soup tops my mother's," Ginny said, content with the food in front of her.

"My mum is a fantastic baker, but give her a soup recipe and she's baffled," Draco chuckled thinking of his mother.

The sound of the kitchen door opening made them both look up. Ginny paled a bit and then sighed in a resigned sort of way. The trio had just entered the room and was making their way toward them.

"Hello Ginny," Hermione said in a cheery voice as she sat down in a vacant chair next to the redhead.

"Hi, Mione," Ginny replied unenthusiastically, sliding her chair a little more toward Draco's so neither of the boys could wedge in there. Luckily, Draco had the same thought and they did not end up separated.

"Potter, Weasley," Draco nodded his head at them, causing Ron's mouth to gape open a bit and Harry to narrow his eyes as though suspecting a trick.

"Malfoy," Harry responded after a moment.

"Ron, shut your mouth, you look like a fish," Hermione reprimanded, which made Draco smile. Ginny was now used to his smiles, but it seemed the other three only knew his smirks and were surprised at this new, happy, Malfoy expression.

"Malfoy, are you ill?" Harry questioned.

"No, why would I be?" Draco raised an eyebrow in question.

"Because up until a moment ago, you were being pleasant," Ron's brow was furrowed in his inspection of the blond menace sitting beside him.

"I am very pleasant; didn't I show that last night?" Draco directed the last over to Ginny, who laughed.

"Well, you do play the part of the gentleman quite well," she responded, with laughter in her eyes.

"So, when are you telling your parents?" Hermione asked.

"What am I telling them, exactly?" Ginny asked a bit apprehensively.

"Why that you're dating a Malfoy, obviously," Hermione stated, thinking it was quite clear what she was talking about. Ginny, however, could not come up with a response and was saved by Draco.

"We had not talked about that yet," he put it delicately, avoiding looking at anyone, except the girl next to him. The only reason he was being civil to these people was that she cared about them, otherwise, he would have been gone, and they would have been very unhappy.

"Well do you like each other?" Hermione sounded exasperated by their inability to discuss their feelings. When they both nodded hesitantly, Hermione decided for them, "Since you both like each other, you are now going out, do with that what you will. I am famished and would like to go get some of that delicious smelling soup."

With that, Hermione departed the table, followed by Ron and Harry who delivered the usual older brotherly, 'if you hurt her, we'll hurt you' speech.

"Are you okay with that?" Ginny asked, a little unsure about it herself.

"Yes, however, I would rather have asked you than have Granger simply announce it to us," the blond was rather put out by her assessment of the situation, even if she was right.

"Good, because I'm not going to let you go any time soon," Ginny told him.

"Neither am I," Draco said, leaning down to place a short, kiss on her mouth.

Epilogue:

***Christmas six years later***

"Come on, we're going to be late," Draco hollered up the stairs. They had to make it to the Burrow before the food was served or Molly would not be a happy lady. If that was not formidable enough, his mother would be there as well and he really did not want to deal with both of them that day.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ginny came into view as she descended the stairs, "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

"My knickers are perfectly fine, thank you very much," Draco straightened his hair in their hall mirror as his girlfriend laughed at him.

"Now who's holding us up?" she questioned.

"Still you," Draco tweaked her nose and handed her some floo powder before she had a chance to retaliate.

"I'll get you later," she promised, an evil little smile gracing her lips.

"I'm counting on that," Draco kissed her cheek before they entered the fireplace.

The sight presented to them as they entered the Weasley home was an explosion of decoration and red hair. They were the last to arrive and the house was packed. All of Ginny's brothers, their wives, and several children were present. The closest to them as they exited the fireplace were Harry and his wife, Sara, with Ron and a very pregnant Hermione. They were seated on old furniture in the living room and they all called out greetings when they saw the new arrivals.

"Draco, our mothers are going to drive me insane," Ron had the only gloomy greeting.

"What are they doing now?" Draco and Ron had grown to like each other over the years, even if they did enjoy the common arguments that sprung up. Harry delighted in matching wits with the blonde as well and so, Ginny had nothing to fear those years ago sitting in the Hogwarts kitchen. Their mothers got along famously after all the misconceptions had been cleared up and now, they all came together for Christmas dinner. It was an event that inspired both Christmas cheer and terror to all that participated. Well, only the terror of being crushed under the sheer number of people and amount of food served.

"They're over planning. They keep asking things about colors and baby toys, I have no idea what to do," Ron just about wailed.

"Don't even start Ronald, I'm the one that's pregnant," Hermione said, "I should be the one to name my child."

"Don't worry Mione, it will be fine, just be firm with them and they'll let you to at least have a say," Ginny said, eliciting a laugh from everyone.

"You love the attention Ron, don't kid yourself," Harry could not help but put his two cents into the conversation.

"Come on, let's go in before Molly comes around with that rolling pin of hers," Sara said, pulling Harry out of his chair while Ron helped Hermione up.

The meal was extravagant and filled with every delicacy imaginable. The room seemed to have been enlarged to fit the number of people attending, however, it did nothing for the noise level. At one end, Fred and George were making raucous jokes without the threat of their mother hearing, entertaining everyone at that end of the room. Molly and Narcissa had created a feast to end all feasts. Every delicacy imaginable was laid out on the table for everyone to enjoy.

After everyone had gorged on their magnificent meal, everyone went out to the snowy garden for a bit of fresh air. It was lit with the light from the full moon and looked beautiful. Ginny held her hand out for a snowflake to land on and looked up at Draco, "Do you remember our first snowfall?"

"How could I forget?" Draco smiled and took her hand, leading her in a waltz.

"There's no music silly," Ginny said, "And I didn't start it this time, so you don't have a real reason." But she went along with him through the white garden.

"What do you mean there isn't any music?" Draco responded.

Then Ginny could hear it, music was being played closer to the house. It appeared that the violins and flutes were playing themselves until she spotted Ron and Harry surreptitiously pointing their wands behind their backs at them.

"What's going on Draco?" Ginny asked, puzzled by the turn of events.

"Ever since that first night, I have been in love with you Ginny," Draco started, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up beside you every morning and see you every day for the rest of my life. Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?" Draco ended on his knee in the snow looking up at the most amazing witch he had ever known, hoping she was say yes to him. In his hands was a box with an emerald and diamond engagement ring that looked older than their parents nestled inside.

"Of course I will Draco," Ginny allowed him to slip the perfect ring on her finger before throwing her arms around her new fiancé. Draco lifted her up and swung her around, both of them laughing and smiling in their happiness. Their family was cheering around them. Fred and George let out a wolf whistle when they kissed.

They went back inside short while later and settled in the living room with the rest of the family. Victoire, Bill and Fleur's daughter jumped up on her lap and asked Ginny, "Are you going to live happily ever after?"

After looking lovingly at Draco, she told the little girl, "For ever and ever."


End file.
